3/7/19: Record Recovery: Duration and Perceptions

While last month the ongoing 'recovery' has clocked the longest duration of all recoveries in the U.S. history (see chart 1 below), there is a continued and sustained perception of this recovery as being somehow weak.

And, in fairness, based on real GDP growth during the modern business cycles (next chart), current expansion is hardly impressive:

However, public perceptions should really be more closely following personal disposal income dynamics than the aggregate economic output growth. So here is a chart plotting evolution of the real disposable income per capita through business cycles:

By disposable income metrics, here is what matters:

1. The Great Recession was horrific in terms of duration and depth of declines in personal disposable income.
2. The recovery has been extremely volatile over the first 7 years.
3. It took 22 quarters for personal disposable income to recover to the levels seen in the third quarter of the recovery.

So what matters to the public perception of the recovery in the current cycle is the long-lasting memory of the collapse, laced with the negative perceptions lingering from the early years of the recovery.

To confirm this, look at the average rate of recovery in the real disposable income per quarter of the recovery cycle. The next two charts plot this metric, relative to the (a) full business cycle - from the start of the recession to the end of the recovery (next chart) and (b) recovery cycle alone - from the trough of the recession to the end of the recovery (second chart below):

So looking at the trough-to-peak part of the cycle (the expansion part of the cycle) alone implies we are experiencing the best recovery on modern record. But looking at the start-of-recession-to-end-of-recovery cycle, the current recovery period has been less than spectacular, ranking fourth in strength overall.

Which is, of course, to say that our negative perceptions of the recovery are anchored to our experience of the crisis. We are, after all, behavioral animals, rather than rational agents.

18/9/2014: Irish GDP Q2 2014: Sectoral Decomposition

Quarterly National Accounts for Q2 2014 for Ireland have been published by the CSO and the numbers are so-far encouraging. I will be blogging on these through out the day, so stay tuned.

In this first post on QNA results for Q2 2014, let's take a look at the seasonally un-adjusted data (allowing for year-on-year comparatives) for real GDP by sector:

All sectors output rose 7.4% y/y in real terms in Q2 2014 marking second consecutive quarter of growth and significantly outperforming 3.3% growth y/y recorded in Q1 2014. Q2 all sectors output is now at EUR42.157 billion which is the highest reading for any quarter on record.

compared to Q1 2011 output now is 10.8% higher and we are running at the rate of output some 6.3% above the 2006-2007 quarterly average.

The above is undoubtedly good news.

Sectoral growth rates (y/y) breakdown as follows:

Summary of the above charts:

• Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing sector posted a massive rose in output of 13.9% y/y in Q2 2014 coming on foot of an already significant growth of 9.3% y/y in Q1 2014. This marks fourth consecutive quarter of growth in the sector, with sector activity now up 58.1% in real terms on Q1 2011 and 28.3% ahead of 2006-2007 quarterly average.
• Industry activity rose 6.47% y/y marking the first quarter of increases. Activity shrunk 5.09% in Q1 2014. The sector performance has pushed output 6.6% above Q1 2011 levels but is still running 5.74% below 2006-2007 quarterly average. Still, good news is that growth is back.
• Distribution, Transport, Software & Communication sector expanded by 11.3% y.y in Q2 2014 after posting growth of 10.6% y/y in Q1 2014. This marks second consecutive quarter of growth in the sector. Sector activity is now up 3.11% on Q1 2011 and is still down 2.51% on 2006-2007 levels.
• Public Administration and Defence sector grew 3.75% y/y in Q2 2014, marking second consecutive quarter of y/y growth in a row. In Q1 2014 the sector grew by 3.67% y/y. Despite all the austerity, sector activity is now up 1.62% on Q1 2011 but overall activity is down 8.9% on 2006-2007 quarterly average.
• Other Services sectors posted growth of 2.7% y/y in Q2 2014 and 3.9% growth in Q1 2014. Q2 2014 marked 13th consecutive quarter of positive y/y growth in the sector. Sector activity is up 9.6% on Q1 2011 and is 8.75% ahead of 2006-2007 quarterly average.
• Building & Construction sector posted growth of 8.99% y/y in Q2 2014 which comes after 7.63% growth in the sector in Q1 2014 and marks 7th consecutive quarter of growth. Good news, however, are moderated by the realisation that levels of activity in the sector are still running 53% below those of 2006-2007 although sector has managed to grow output by 4.4% on Q1 2011.
• Transportable Goods Industries and Utilities sector posted y/y growth of 6.3% in Q2 2014, compensating for the decline of 5.9% registered in Q1 2014. Sector activity is now 6.7% ahead of Q1 2011 and 3.13% ahead of 2006-2007 quarterly average.

Key conclusion: strong performance in growth y/y in key sectors of the economy in Q2 2014 showing no sector contracting against 2 sectors contracting y/y in Q1 2014. As expected, Q2 output came in with stronger readings than Q1 and indications are Q3 2014 is likely to be also ahead of Q1 expansion rates.

Stay tuned for more QNA data analysis here.